Chapter 6 - Fort William
Cole packed some clothes to change, two knives into his belt pockets, Sam had invented specially for him, and his diary.
He heard his uncle coming upstairs. "Son, are you ready?"
"Yes Uncle, I'm almost done." Cole turned to the chair next to his bed. Grabbing his hat and jacket, the young hunter hurried to follow Wade.
Soon, his uncle let Cole steer the schooner, telling him he was tired and would take a nap in the load area. Cole wondered why Wade was so exhausted, usually, he was up with the birds and went to bed late. Maybe he hadn't slept well.
The ride was long though the weather was dry and not too sunny. Thankfully Wade didn't stay that silent like on the first day of the drive.
Cole had not many opportunities to speak to Wade in private. "Uncle Wade?"
Wade turned toward him, looking interested into his nephew's ice-blue eyes. "Yes, Cole?"
Cole got unsure how to start. He didn't want to upset Wade. "Can you tell me about my mom?"
Wade smiled lopsidedly, turning his gaze to the wide land before them. Cole already thought it had been a mistake to ask, but his Uncle started to speak.
"She was pretty much like you. Always curious and stubborn but in a charming way. You have her hair, you know." Wade took a strand of Cole's dark hair and let it slip through his fingers. "She cut her hair once short because she believed it would be better to play in the woods with us boys. Our mother got really angry about it."
Cole smiled over the picture that started manifesting in his head. He imagined a little dark-haired girl running after the three boys, begging to play with them. "I remember her hair." He got silent, lost in the few memories he had of his mother. The picture of her was now added by Wade's memories.
Other memories sneaked into his mind. Sadder ones. Hurting ones. His father had beaten him often. Called him names. One of these was 'bastard'. He didn't feel anything for the man but hatred, Cole even made him responsible for his mother's death.
"Do you think my father hated me?"
"Cole … don't think that way. By treating you the way he did, he has no right to call himself anything to you. I'm so sorry that I realized too late how bad he was to both of you." Wade patted the teen fatherly on his shoulder squeezing it slightly.
Cole turned his face to the grassland that spread endless wide. Trying to fight down the tears of self-pity and sorrow he'd thought he had overcome for years. "I know. I never had given you any blame. Is it weird that I miss him sometimes? Well not that he got violent at me but … I don't know … to have a father?"
"No, that is not weird at all." Wade added nothing more though he seemed brooding about something.
*** The Wild West Triad - prequel ***
The Fort had a high wooden protection wall with a guard on the balustrade. Wade exchanged a few words with the guard and they soon were allowed to enter the Fort.
With curious interest, Tanner watched the everyday business of the people around them. His interest in weapons led him to watch the blacksmith working at his smithy. The evenly hammering on the piece of iron was hypnotic and he watched as the metal was slowly hammered into the shape of a blade.
Wade climbed off the coachman's seat and sighed, turning to his nephew. "I want to visit the Carpenter to get some special parts for the house. Do you want to see something specific in the Fort while we are here?"
Cole didn't miss his uncle's seemed not fully concentrated. "Are you alright Uncle? You look tired."
"I'm fine. Don't worry, you sound like Mike sometimes, you know?"
"And we aren't even related by blood," Cole joked. "When will Mike and Bastian visit next time?"
"Oh, I think they should be around soon, son." Wade smiled knowingly.
"Good. Do you need my company at the carpenter's or would you mind if I explore the Fort on my own, Uncle?" Cole hopefully asked.
"No, have fun, but don't get into trouble, okay?"
"I'm gonna try my best, Sir," Cole smiled back.
"I know you are but please keep your temper. We're gonna meet at the Saloon at five. Here, take this." Wade held out his pocket watch for Cole to take. "Don't be late. I want to eat at six and we're leaving early tomorrow."
"Alright, 'til later." Cole jumped from the Schooner and headed first to the blacksmith.
He approached the man, nodding at him. "Hello Sir, I'm Cole Tanner. Can I watch you a bit at work?"
"Sure. Tanner, huh? How old are you, son?" The man gave him an appraising look.
"I'm seventeen," Cole answered honestly.
"So you are interested in blacksmith work? I could use a trainee. You look strong enough."
"Interested, yes. I can be your trainee for today. My uncle has an appointment with the carpenter. It will take him some time."
"So your uncle is Wade Wilmington? I saw you two ride in earlier."
"Yes, Sir, that is right."
"My name is Robert Fentross. I made a few blades and brims for him, a fine man, your uncle. Come closer, I will show you how to forge a blade." The man signed Cole to come over and started to tell him what was to be known in forging metal.
Cole loved to watch the metal glow nearly white and watched with curious interest how Mr. Fentross forged the piece of metal into a flat roughly shaped blade. The time passed by and he already was with the blacksmith for over two hours when the blade was ready to be sharpened. Cole was allowed to try it himself and Robert was very pleased with his work.
"Well done, son. You have a talent for metal. It's getting late, we are done for today, I have to head home to my wife. I will share a very important secret with you about women." Mr. Fentross came closer and placed his big blacksmith's hand on Cole's shoulder "Never let them wait for you because you sure as hell don't want to deal with an angry woman." Patting the teen's shoulder, he laughed over his wisdom.
"I will remember that, Sir." Cole smiled brightly at the man.
"You can call me Robert if you like. Wait a second I have something for you." Robert vanished in the back of his smithy and came back with a small package.
While Cole studied the pocket watch Wade had given him earlier, he saw it was three o'clock. He had enough time left to explore more of the fort.
"Here, you can keep it and practice a little bit. And when you come to Fort William again, we talk and you show me what you made out of it. Let your imagination run free." Smiling friendly at him, he pushed the package into his hands.
"Thank you, Sir. Uhm, Robert."
Robert ushered him out of the smithy and waved Cole goodbye, heading home whistling. Cole brought his gift to the schooner and looked curious inside. Robert had given him a piece of metal like the one he had used to forge a blade, a smith hammer, and a pair of tongs. Smiling brightly, he was looking forward to the next visit. He would practice for sure.
In best mood, Cole strolled further through the Fort until his feet carried him into a small alley that ended in a yard of a house where a sign with red letters entitled the place as 'Ella's Etablissement'. Cole tried to figure out what the place was for. All the curtains in the windows were closed though it was a bright day. It didn't take long until the next hint appeared.
The door flung open and a big man with a wild beard dragged a woman in underskirts with him through the door, giving her a hard shove that she crashed at the rail of the front porch. The pair was followed by a middle-aged, curvaceous woman with fiery red hair, non-stop scolding at the guy.
The younger woman groaned in pain and slumped down, but the guy was far from done. "You fucking whore, I swear I'm gonna kill you. I paid for the service and it is not on you to deny me what I have paid for."
He was about to grab the younger woman by her brown thick curls when Cole could no longer watch the scene. It was now crystal clear to him what the house was but even if this was a cathouse, the asshole had no right to treat a woman like that. "Hey! Get your hands off her," shouted Cole while he hurried closer.
The man watched up from the woman he was about to punch and shot Cole a malicious glare. "This is not your damn business, boy. Go and run home to your mum."
The red-haired woman, used the distraction and grabbed the man's arm to stop him from hitting the girl. Cole was on the porch as the guy shoved her roughly back so that she fell through the still open door.
Tanner had not to think twice; he just reacted. For something the sparring training had to be good. With a hard upper punch in the face, the mountain of a man fell straight to the ground where he stood.
"Hell, you have a pretty hard head, it has to be of wood," Cole was telling himself. He brushed over his aching fist to ease the pain.
The young woman stared at Cole. Her nose bled slightly, her hair covered most of her face. Cole spotted that her bare arm started to show some bad bruises where she had been grabbed roughly. "Are you alright?" Cole held out a hand to help her up.
Shyly she took the offer, giving him only a weak smile. "Thank you, Mr. …?"
"I'm Cole. Cole Tanner and I did nothing every decent man wouldn't do for a Lady."
The red haired woman came out of the door again, staring at the man on the ground. "Good Lord, that was a hell of a punch, Mr. Tanner. The asshole went totally out of control." She turned and shouted inside. "Chrissi, go and get Martin, I want that piece of shit off my porch!"
Cole guided the woman inside to let her in the care of the blond woman which seemed to be Chrissi. He looked around, already feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
The curvaceous woman came at his side. Cole wasn't sure what do next, so he started talking. "I hope you won't get in any trouble because I interfered. I should better leave now."
She stopped him. "No, no, Mr. Tanner, you have to have at least a drink with us. Don't worry about him, we have our way to deal with these situations."
Cole felt unsure but he had no chance to escape, she already hooked an arm in his, taking him with her.
He hardly knew where to look at, the house seemed full of half-naked girls of all likes. A few had come out of their rooms to find out what was wrong. He felt his cheeks turning red in embarrassment, a hot feeling in his gut, and his pants getting uncomfortably tight.
"Come over here," she guided him to one of the lounge chairs. "Don't be shy or haven't you ever seen a woman."
Tanner stared unsure to the ground. "Well ma'am, not like that."
"Oh honey, then it seems to be your lucky day." She proclaimed, laughing warmly.
"Is the girl alright? Why did the guy hit her?" Cole asked to think about something different than the barely dressed girls around him. He had noticed that most of the women here were more his age. Even the one he'd saved couldn't be older than 25. The one in front of him had a special charm, though she was older maybe 35. He couldn't help, but found himself staring at her invitingly presented decolletage. Her full breasts were pushed up by a black lace-decorated corset. He tried to look back into her face. If she had noticed his stare, she didn't seemed offended.
"I don't know, but I will find out. My name is Ella by the way, welcome to my etablissement."
She pushed a glass of whiskey into his hand and raised her glass to him. Cole had never drunk alcohol before. He gulped the glass like he had seen it other men do in his childhood and coughed heavily. A warm feeling spread nearly instantly through his guts.
"So tell me, Mr. Tanner, what brought such a young, good-looking man to the lonely west?" Ella wanted to know.
"I came with my uncle to get some supplies in Fort William. We live further northwest."
"Oh, a few settlers came through not long ago who wanted to settle over there but I know only one man who lives further west. Don't you say your uncle is Wade Wilmington?"
"That he is, ma'am. The settlers already started to build a little community and named it Canaan."
"Good Lord, now I know where your manners come from. I haven't seen Wade for a long time. Give him my best regards. Maybe he will say hello today." Ella questioned him curiously and smiled cheekily. "Tell me, Cole, is there a Lady who has stolen your heart or can I introduce you to one of my girls?"
"There is one." He started to feel even more uncomfortable.
"I would have wondered otherwise. You seem to be a really good catch. Is she one of the settler's daughters?" She saw his unsure look. "I'm sorry I shouldn't be so nosy but I like a good chat. So if you want anything to know about women, just ask."
Cole thought for a moment. This was an opportunity he wouldn't get again. He was, so to speak, at the source of wisdom about love and women. "Well, she is not exactly my girlfriend. I feel hardly able to speak in her presence. I mean, what should I talk about with her? I know like nothing about girls."
"I see, there is not so much to know. Girls like strong and honorable men who are gentle but they should know what they want. I think you don't have a problem with these things. And then there is the physical thing … pushing the right buttons on a Lady and she will eat from the palm of your hand. Ella laughed out loud at the expression Cole gave.
An hour later, Cole had been pretty much briefed by Ella about all buttons on a woman's body. He wasn't quite sure if that would help him with Carolyn next time he would see her but Wade always told them information was the best preparation for a hunt.
Tanner took out his uncle's pocket watch, still feeling a bit dizzy from the whiskey Ella had given him. It was half past four. He should go and meet his uncle. He got up from the chaise lounge swaying slightly. "Thank you, Ella, for the hospitality, but I have to go now."
"Goodbye Sweetheart, maybe we'll see each other again?" Ella asked, placing a kiss on Cole's cheek.
"You'll never know," Cole answered in typical Wade-style what made the red-haired woman smile.
*** The Wild West Triad - Prequel ***
Strolling over to the Saloon, Cole saw his uncle was already waiting inside and had claimed a table for them. Cole took off his black hat and took a seat opposite his uncle.
"You look very pleased, did I miss something?" Wade asked curiously.
Cole couldn't hide a grin. "Not much. The blacksmith Mr. Fentross gifted me a forging kit. He is very nice."
"Yeah I know Robert, he is a good man. I was able to get everything ordered with the carpenter. He will prepare the missing parts and send them with Mike and Bastian when they come through here. What else did you discover?"
The waitress served them each their bowl of soup Wade had ordered and placed a small basket with bread in the middle of the round table. The smell was delicious. Cole hadn't eaten all day. The last meal had been their breakfast that was composed of a piece of cheese and a very hard slice of bread. Wade had improved his baking skills but he wouldn't call it delicious, it was edible.
What now stood before him smelled heavenly. Even the bread that was served with the soup was of white wheat and so soft as his pillow. The young man enjoyed his meal before he let the cat out of the bag.
"I met a woman with fiery red hair. She offered me a whiskey and said I should give you her best regards. Do you meet Ella more often?"
Wade looked dumbstruck at first but started laughing soon, giving Cole a slight pat on his cheek. "Don't get naughty, only because I decided to treat you like a man now, I don't have to discuss my choice of women with you. Why did she offer you whiskey? Hope she didn't take your virginity, too."
Still grinning, Cole answered cheekily. "What tells you I'm still a virgin?"
Wade bent slightly over his soup to eat. "Don't push your luck, or I'll take Samuel with me next time. I hope Mr. Kramer is not showing up on my doorstep, telling me his daughter is pregnant."
"Ok, ok, Wade stop it. Nothing happened between Carolyn and me yet - I swear."
"Yet?" Wade cocked a brow.
TBC
A/N: Let me know your thoughts about this story. Even when you thought it so horrible that you would not read on. Let me know. Every review is so very important to a writer.
